This
is a series of very short "articles" that
appeared in the Columbus Republican and Evening
Republican newspaper (now known as the Republic)
from the late 1800's. Some are informative, and some
are just down right comical. But, with that said,
the purpose here is to show what living day by day
was like in a time period that not many of us can
envision today. If we walk along the downtown
sidewalks, and stop at intersections, waiting for
the lights to change, it's hard to imagine Columbus
downtown streets dusty dirt in the summer and mud in
the winter. It's hard to imagine that,
instead of cars, horses and cows once roamed along
Washington Street. It's hard for us to imagine that
city streetlights were gas-lit, when installed, and
someone had to walk the streets night after night
and light them, only to return and put them out at
daybreak. I don't imagine I'll ever be able to enjoy
the thrill of seeing a horse-drawn water wagon
accompanied with thundering hoofbeats down one of
the local streets, hell-bent on getting to the scene
of a fire as fast as possible. I will never be
witness to women in long dresses and come-alongs
lifting their skirts to cross a muddy street and the
look of disgust that must have been scored on their
faces.

I. Hodgson,
architect of the new Court House, paid his weekly
visit to this place on Monday, to watch the progress
of the building...Columbus Republican, Thursday,
July 18, 1872

Numerous
complaints have been made by ladies against the
sprinkling of street crossings and sidewalks because
long dresses can not be worn on the streets without
being bedraggled. Bachelors who prefer comfort to
fashion suggest tucks...Columbus Republican,
Thursday, July 18, 1872

The J. M.
& I. Railroad will carry passengers at excursion
rates on the day of Barnum's Great Show at Columbus,
from Retreat on the south and Amity on the north, to
Columbus...Columbus Republican, Thursday, July 18,
1872

Clean out your
alleys and back yards. Steps were taken by the
Council on Thursday night which, it is to be hoped,
will diminish the odors and add to the healthfulness
of the city...Columbus Republican, Thursday, July
18, 1872

Messrs. George
Pence and E. E. Matthews, being young and festive
and something of politicians, concluded they would
celebrate the result of the Gubernatorial election
by a wheel-barrow ride to be enjoyed by the one
whose candidate was successful and furnished by the
other. It came off Monday evening and George rode.
The line of hauling was from the residence of Mrs.
Pence along Washington street to the Greeley
pole...Columbus Republican, Saturday, October 26,
1872

We learn that
the contractors of the Cincinnati and Terre Haute
Railroad intend putting a force of men on the line
between Columbus and Greensburg in a few days, and
that it is expected the road will be in active
operation between these two points by the 1st of
January...Columbus Republican, Saturday, October 26,
1872

A number of
new hats, gloves, overcoats, and other articles of
clothing are worn on the street. They are mostly
Republicans who wear them...Columbus Republican,
Saturday, October 26, 1872

It is thought
the walls of the new Court House will be very
nearly, if not quite completed to the top of the
second story, by the end of the week, and the main
part of the building will be ready for roofing by
that time...Columbus Republican, Saturday, October
26, 1872

The people of
Columbus have missed securing another very important
addition to their industries in the Madison Starch
Factory, which we learn is to be located at
Indianapolis...Columbus Republican, Thursday,
October 31, 1872

Of you don't
beleefe me, yust kom und see me. I can get you up an
oyster stew for 40 cents--W. H. Doll...Columbus
Republican, Thursday, October 31, 1872

There was
shown us the other evening one of the finest ears of
corn we have ever seen. It came from the farm of Mr.
Archie McEwen near Columbus, and it is said there
are many others of the same size in the
field...Columbus Republican, Thursday, November 7,
1872

One of Joe
Wooley's horses stepped on his foot Saturday,
inflicting a painful wound...Daily Evening
Republican, Monday, May 2, 1881

Clarence W.
Adams and Co. have removed their drug and
prescription store to No. 322 Washington street,
next door to the Trade Palace, and invite all their
old customers and all others who want anything in
the drug line to call at their new quarters...Daily
Evening Republican, Monday, May 2, 1881

The Clippers
and the Columbus Nine are the names of two base-ball
clubs in Columbus, composed of young ladies. For
audacity the Columbus girls take the cake...Daily
Evening Republican, Monday, May 2, 1881

The attention
of contractors and builders is called to the
advertisement of Isaac T. Brown, in another column,
calling for sealed proposals for the erection of a
three-story brick building on Washington
Street...Daily Evening Republican, Tuesday, May 3,
1881

The showers of
yesterday and day before have made the sidewalks and
street crossings fearfully sloppy. With the
enterprise and taste manifested by the citizens of
Columbus in matters of public improvement, it is
remarkably strange that they do not awaken to the
fact that they have the worst sidewalks of any town
of the size in the state...Daily Evening Republican,
Tuesday, May 3, 1881

Simeon Boaz,
the newly elected president of the Bartholomew
County Agriculture Society, in his speech before
that body yesterday, took decided grounds against
allowing gambling or dancing tents upon the fair
grounds, and emphasized his remarks by saying that
he would resign rather than permit the continuance
of these practices...Daily Evening Republican,
Tuesday, May 3, 1881

Martin
Rothrock, who lives in the neighborhood of Clifford,
became intoxicated last night and attempted to make
a bed on the floor of the waiting room at the
Seventh street depot, when he was arrested by
Policeman Vanosdol and lodged in jail. He was
brought before Mayor Stader this morning and fined
$12, including costs. Not being provided with that
sum, he went to jail...The Evening Republican,
Friday, July 5, 1889

At the Gospel
temperance meeting held yesterday, expressions of
thanks were tendered the mayor and city council for
raising the saloon license fee to the highest
limit...The Evening Republican, Monday, July 8, 1889

Frank Pancake
has rented of John Crump the west room in the Arcade
opera house building, in which he will open out a
fine saloon about the first week in September. The
room will be handsomely furnished and a complete and
good stock of liquors kept on hand. The Bissell
hotel saloon, which he is now running, has been
disposed of to Len Hackney...The Evening Republican,
Thursday, August 1, 1889

The programmes
for Crump's theater opening will be perfumed with
"Marvel of Peru" perfumery by Theo E.
Otto, the druggist...The Evening Republican,
Tuesday, October 29, 1889

More of our
citizens are taking down their fences and making
their lawns open, adding greatly to the appearance
of their property. It would be a difficult matter to
find anyone who now favored letting cows run at
large...The Evening Republican, Monday, November 11,
1889

A large steer
being driven up Washington Street last Saturday
evening deliberately walked into the drug store of
Fred Brown, in the old post office building (where
Cummins Bookstore is today). Some men on the
sidewalk opened the door, and without any trouble,
the animal turned around and walked out, doing no
damage...The Evening Republican, Monday, January 6,
1890

The heavy
rains caused a light attendance at the churches last
night...The Evening Republican, Monday, January 6,
1890

The greatest
loss sustained by Columbus for some time is that of
the pulley works. Although at present, they only
work a small force of hands and have no building of
their own, the outlook for this factory is very
bright. It is destined to become one of the great
industries in the state. Machinists say that wood
pulleys are to take the place of iron, and that the
Reeves split pulley is far superior to any other in
the market. Had we secured this plant, it would, in
a short time, have been the largest of our
industries. Why did we let this prize get away? The
reason is plain enough. Our citizens who have the
means and who would have been the most benefited did
not give the company the proper encouragement. The
people of Kokomo showed by their actions that they
wanted the works, and Columbus people, by their lack
of interest, that they did not care. This loss
should at least teach us a lesson. If we can not
secure the pulley works, we should secure something
else. Our suggestion is that the capitalists of this
city organize a company and create an industry, or,
indeed, more than one. One trouble with our city is
that many of our capitalists have too little
confidence in their own business ability. They have
more confidence in the ability of their mortgagee to
handle their money than they have in their own
ability to make investments...The Evening
Republican, Tuesday, April 1, 1890

The flag is
out locating the cases of scarlet fever on Eighth
Street between Pearl and Mechanic at the residence
of Mr. Smith Abbett. The greatest care should be
taken, and every citizen should aid in preventing
the spread of this disease...The Evening Republican,
Tuesday, April 1, 1890

The management
of Crump's Theater, at a small expense, could hire a
policeman large enough to throw a few hoodlums who
occupy seats in the balcony out of the window. This
ought to be. Men who have not respect enough to act
decently should not be permitted to visit public
entertainments...The Evening Republican, Thursday,
April 3, 1890

The New
City Hospital The large brick residence at No.
720 Franklin street, recently purchased by Dr. A. J.
Banker to be used as a city hospital, has been
remodeled and placed in a first-class condition, and
is today open to the doctor's patients. The first
floor of the building will be occupied by Mrs. Julia
Morledge as a residence, who will act as matron and
have general management of the building. There are
now seven rooms and a large hall on the second floor
of this building. All the windows have been supplied
with the latest improvements for ventilating
purposes, with inside and outside blinds. In
addition to the rooms mentioned, there is an
operating room, a bath room and a wash room, in all
of which there is both hot and cold water, which can
be used at will. The hospital recently in use by Dr.
Banker in the rear of his office on Washington
street will be abandoned. When completed, this
building will be an ornament to that part of the
city, and not easily distinguished from a residence
in that locality, as one of the chief objects has
been to have the institution appear pleasant,
home-like, and attractive...The Evening Republican,
July 8, 1890

There were 365
persons applied for teacher's licenses in this
county from June 1, 1889, to June 1, 1890. Of this
number, seventy-five passed and 290 failed. Of the
number that passed, about eighty per cent received
six and twelve month license...The Evening
Republican, Tuesday, July 8, 1890

The street
railroad will be graded today as far as Washington
and Eleventh streets. The ties are being placed in
the excavation as rapidly as it is made. The rails
will be placed in the track by the middle of next
week, then the line will be ready for the cars...The
Evening Republican, Friday, July 25, 1890

If there has
ever been any doubt in the mind of anyone as to the
ability of Scott & Lyle to push a contract of
railroad building, that doubt can be expelled at
once. In the putting down of the street railway in
this city, they are proving themselves to be
hustlers...The Evening Republican, Wednesday, August
6, 1890

The county
commissioners and the street and alley committee of
this city council will visit the Harris stone
quarries near Greensburg next Wednesday...The
Evening Republican, Monday, August 11, 1890

For several
days, two families who wander about the country have
been in camp on the river bank at the west end of
Fourth street. It appears that they all got drunk on
Saturday night and continued in that condition all
of yesterday and finally wound up their spree this
morning with an all-around fight. A rumor reached
Washington street early this morning that one of the
number, a woman, had been killed. The injured woman,
however, was seen at 7 a.m. at the mayor's office,
where she had come to file an affidavit against
another woman of the camp for assault and battery.
She had a broken nose and her face was badly
scratched up. The entire party was notified to leave
the city at once...The Evening Republican, Monday,
August 11, 1890